US Leadership in a Post 9/11 World

In his latest policy brief, Professor Brandon Prins and PhD candidate Allan Wilford explore how foreign policy has changed and developed under the Obama administration. The brief compares and contrasts the policies that are currently in place with those that were implemented under the Bush administration. While Obama is ideologically different from George W. Bush, many of his policies have continued to play a role in current international relations: “We discuss the world views of each President and the foreign policy objectives they pursued during their respective terms,” they write, “…this Brief examines specific policies of the two administrations to identify substantive differences.” Prins and Wilford break down several aspects of international relations such as foreign aid, defense spending, United Nations involvement, and our commitments to other nations. Also discussed are the obstacles that both Presidents faced in terms of American legislators. Finally, the authors elaborate on how they feel all of these combined challenges will shape future foreign policy issues and international affairs.